Ch…Ch…Ch…Changes

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

If you’ve been on the blog in the past few days I’m sure you noticed the shiny, new logo at the top. I love writing this blog and really appreciate everyone who comes by to read it, so I thought I’d try to make it a little prettier for you all to look at. I LOVE the new logo, and was so excited to add it to the site.

Noah, an old roommate of Ian’s when he lived in Minnesota, did the design work for me. Ian worked for a lacrosse organization there, and a lot of the shirts and gear they had sported really cool logos. When I started talking about adding a logo, Ian was quick to remind me that Noah had done a lot of that work. I was really excited when he agreed to work on my logo. I was even more excited when he came up with this out of my not so great starting direction consisting of: I like blues and reds, I don’t like capital letters and here’s a link to my site. If you like what you see and have some design work of your own you’d like Noah to work on, you can reach out to him directly at noahhhallATgmail.com. You can also leave a comment below or email me at heartandsole.colleenATgmail.com and I’ll connect you.

I also updated my About Me page and added a couple badges on the right sidebar for organizations that I’m a part of. I was recently named a Sweat Pink Ambassador and am thrilled to be part of that community. Part of their mission says, they know “that real women sweat, and sweat hard. We know that assertiveness, strength, and ambition are the ultimate feminine qualities.” I’m also a member of the Healthy Living Blogs community, which is a great way to learn about and connect with other like-minded bloggers.

I have a brand new facebook page for heart & sole too: http://www.facebook.com/HeartAndSole.Colleen. If you enjoy reading my posts, please head on over and Like the page so we can connect there. It’s pretty bare, so leave a comment and let me know how your training is going, talk about your favorite races or fitness classes, or tell me what you’d like to see more or less of on the blog. You can also connect with me on twitter or instagram. I’m working on a Pinterest page too, so I’ll give you a heads up when that’s ready.

I have plans to add a few more tabs in addition to the About Me and Race Results pages. I’m hoping to make the website a bit more user friendly by putting those tabs in a nav bar across the top under the logo, but am still figuring that out. It’s a work in progress! I’m always trying to make this blog better, so please let me know if you have any ideas from design to content!

Guest Blog: The Musings of An Athletic Supporter Part II

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

My boyfriend Ian guest stars on my blog again today with a second post on what it’s like to be a non-runner at running events. If you like his writing, you can read more over on his blog, Croutons Stuck in Futons. I’m a bit biased, but it’s pretty darn good and really entertaining.

Guest Blogger: Ian Gallagher

Run Rogue 5k: A View from the Sideline

First off, this is a great event supporting a great cause. The fights against Brain and Breast Cancer deserve our attention and support for more than the time it takes to run a 5K, especially at the pace some of the runners were going.

Some non-running race observations. First off they served coffee to everyone, not just those who decided to tackle the race. It is nice when Race Directors remember that spectators are part of the experience. Point to Run Rogue.

The Race had an excellent atmosphere. Between the MC keeping the crowd involved during the dark side of the race* and the feel good vibes coming with all of the cancer survivors coming through the finish line, the Rogues definitely had the ambiance of a great race.

*The dark side of a race is the moment the last runner leaves the starting area until the winner comes charging into view. Most participants never know the 12 minute awkward pause as people wait with noisemakers in hand. It is the Action Movie elevator scene writ large.

Finally, the race had easy and accessible parking. No meters or pay lots, just a large enough free lot to park in. Run Rogue 5k you rock. I really thought this was a great race, and one I would recommend to all levels of athletic supporters and their families, whether you are running or just there to yell.

Crowded Start Line!

Race Recap: Run Rogue 5k

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

On Saturday I ran the Run Rogue 5k in Fairfax for the second year in a row. The race was organized to honor friends and family who have fought and continue to fight cancer, and proceeds from the race are split evenly between Life With Cancer and the Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure. I’d been dealing with a cold all week and was up a lot of the night before coughing, but this race was important to me since both breast cancer and brain cancer have touched my family over the years, and I really wanted to be out their helping raise money to find cures for these diseases.

It’s a very family-oriented race, so the start line was crowded at the front with lots of little kids and people pushing strollers. My annoyance at the stroller runners lining up so close to the start quickly turned into envy when one woman pushing a stroller blew by me half a mile in. I never caught up to her…impressive.

Crowded Start Line!

The wheel chair racers took off first. These guys always impress me – talk about upper body strength!

Wheel chair racer at the start

Ian was nice enough to wake up early with me to drive me out to Fairfax, support me during the race and take all these pictures. He even managed to snag one of me amongst the crowd at the start.

Working through the crowd at the start

I felt about as happy as I look in this picture! It was not my day for racing and I struggled from the start. Every step and breath felt more labored than it should, and I couldn’t find my speed. The race field spread out as soon as we worked our way out of the Fairfax Shopping Plaza area and really began the run. The course was filled with rolling hills. I felt like a whole lot more of them were going up then down, but that could just be because I was struggling.

Chilly at the start, I finally dressed in just the right layers for me for this race, and at least felt just right as far as temperature was concerned. The sun shining brightly made me feel a little better about how cold it still was in late March. I wore a tank top with a built in sports bra topped with a long sleeve tech tee and a Nike half zip. I also wore my Nike dry fit pants, CEP compression socks and of course, my Newtons.

The winners came flying in well before me. The first male, Josef Tesema of Springfield, Va., crossed the line in 15:10 for a pace of 4:53. Wow. I would love to know what it feels like to run that fast. The first woman, Barbara Fallon Wallace of Alexandria, Va., came through in 18:04 maintaining a 5:49 pace. Congrats to both of them on their wins!

First woman coming up on the finish line

After what seemed like forever, I finally made it to the finish. I finished in 22:37 for a 7:36 pace putting me as the 72nd overall finisher out of 797, 20th of 482 females, and 10th out of 126 in my 20-29 age group. It was way off my PR and actually a slower pace than I hope to run my half marathon in just five weeks from now, so I wasn’t thrilled with that. It was for sure not the slowest 5k I’ve run, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt worse along a 5k course and wanted it to be over as badly. Here’s hoping it was just because of this cold I have and that it goes away quickly!

On my way to the finish – didn’t even have energy to do a final kick.

I found Ian after the finish and despite not having a great race felt really good that I’d still come out and done this one. I even managed a smile for my post-race pic by the finish line.

Finish Line Shot

This race is well-organized and supports an awesome cause so I highly recommend it for anyone in the area. Ian and I decided to take advantage of being up and out early to find somewhere to eat brunch and ended up at Eggspectation. This place was awesome. I started off with a hot chocolate to warm back up.

Delicious Hot Chocolate

For brunch I ordered their Yoke Around the Clock meal. It’s a bagel cut in half, placed face down on the grill, and topped with sunny side up eggs, cheese and bacon. It was oh so good, and while I couldn’t eat all of the potatoes and fruit that came on the side, they were just as tasty. Check out Ian’s post over at Croutons Stuck in Futons for the full brunch recap.

Breakfast at Eggspectation

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

Despite feeling a bit under the weather and dealing with more winter-like weather (where are you spring?!), I felt like I had a pretty solid training week last week. I know it could be a lot worse than it is here, but I am so sick of the cold. I’m over winter weather, layering up and bitter windy days. Spring needs to get here – and soon! One thing I did not do last week is my strength workouts, which is not acceptable and I will really focus on making sure that happens this week. I ran 33.57 total miles last week. Here’s the day by day training breakdown…

Monday: Spin Class

Tuesday: I did my speed workout at Hains Point again this week and fared pretty well with my half mile repeats. I did a total of 6.1 miles with a 2 mile warm-up, 4 800-meter repeats with 400-meter recovery jogs (this was too long) and a 1 mile cool down.

Wednesday: I was up early for an endurance spin class up at Revolve and wrapped the day up with a fun run with a friend after work around the Mall and the Jefferson Memorial for about 5.75 miles.

Thursday: I don’t know what it was, but I had the hardest time getting myself to the gym this morning. I came up with every excuse in the book and almost got back in bed a few times even after getting into my gym clothes and doing my ab workout. I got to the gym and saw all the treadmills in use, which rarely happens at my gym, and I almost turned around. Then someone hopped off and I knew I had no excuses left. I’m so glad I did this run. I did a 6.05 mile tempo run for an average pace of 7:26 including my warm-up and a top pace of 6:48. It felt great!

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: I ran the Run Rogue 5k this morning. It wasn’t a great race for me, but it was a great cause so I’m glad I did it. Full recap to come tomorrow.

New Nike Half Zip from Pacers, Race Bib Pinned and Ready To Go

Sunday: Still not feeling well, I almost bagged my long run on Sunday. I got a second wind late afternoon though and decided to head to the gym and just see how long I could make it on the treadmill. I figured that way if I wanted to drop at mile 6, I wouldn’t be 6 miles away from home. It ended up going great though and I made it for the whole 1 hour and 45 minutes I had planned. I kept it at an easy 8:27 pace with a 1.0 incline for the first hour and 20 minutes before starting to up the pace every five minutes. For the last five I upped it each minute so I could reach my goal pace of 7:30 – even if it was just for a minute I felt good to end the run at that pace. I finished up with 12.55 miles for an average pace of 8:21.

Haunting Workouts

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

I’ve done my last couple of interval speed workouts at Hains Point rather than the track. It’s pancake flat so I’ve found it to be a pretty good substitute for the track if you can deal with the winds that always seem to be strong there. It’s a nice change of pace for me too since it’s close to my office because I can sleep in but still have my speed work done at a decent time – either on my lunch break or I plan to run home on my cool down as soon as I’m done with the repeats so I’m still finished before dinner time.

Speed Intervals around Hains Point

I’ve made myself do all of my interval workouts outdoors this training cycle primarily because I just can’t get myself to take the time to warm up and cool down properly on the treadmill. By about three minutes in I’m ready to speed things up on those things and get going, and forget about a cool down, I’ll just walk it out for a few minutes after my last repeat. Also, even though I can run faster on a treadmill, I feel like I push myself harder outside and get a better measure of where I’m at since I’m not forced to keep up with the speed of the belt.

I was all smiles (at least when I was done) after the last two week’s repeats around Hains Point.

I couldn’t help but think back to my last speed workout on Hains Point when I headed out last week though. It was last summer. I normally love the heat and would rather sweat than shiver any day, but that particular day I headed out on a late lunch break around 3 p.m. on a 98-degree, 90 percent humidity day. I was dehydrated, hadn’t had the healthiest lunch and downed a coke with lunch instead of a water. You might say I wasn’t all that well prepared.

I had eight 600-meter repeats on tap that day and it seriously felt like I stepped into a wall when I walked out of my office into the heat. It was hard to even breathe. Somehow it was still windy along Hains Point, but it was by no means a nice breeze coming from the water – it was just more hot air. I pushed my way through a very ugly and not so speedy speed workout. I was proud of myself for not giving up early and calling it a day, but it was not fun and I definitely was not smiling afterwards. I still shudder when I think about that workout.

How about you – do you have any workouts that haunt you?

Race Calendar Updates

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

At the beginning of the year I wrote a post with a calendar of my races for 2013. The problem with trying to plan things out a year in advance as I like to do is that I often have to make changes. I’ve already had to do some rearranging due to conflicts this month. I was extremely bummed to miss the Four Courts Four Miler since I’ve never been able to do it, but it coincided with a noon Syracuse game against Georgetown at the Verizon Center that I was going to. I knew with the 9 a.m. start time there was no way I could get back down the hill to Rosslyn, showered and ready in time for enough pre-game fun. Turns out there were not enough pre-game drinks to make that game watchable, but at least we got our revenge in the Big East Tourney.

Before I digress too much, which tends to happen when I talk Syracuse hoops, I did find a replacement race this month for the Four Courts Four. I’m running the Rev3 Run Rogue 5k in Fairfax this Saturday. It’s a fun race that I also ran last year and it supports an awesome cause – brain and breast cancer research.

I’ve also made a couple other additions. I added a sprint triathlon in June because I finally found one that lets me do the swim in a pool! I also added my first-ever track race in July. After reading about the Bring Back the Mile Campaign and seeing one of their events was right here in Arlington, I decided why not give it a shot. I have no idea how to run in a track race so I’ll probably get smoked, but I’m still pretty excited! Any advice you all have would be appreciated.

One final tweak is more of a hope at this point. During the first week of January, I impulse-registered for the Honolulu Marathon on December 8. They had a one-week only $55 entry fee deal for the normally very expensive race. Looking at last year’s Hawaii travel packages offered through Marathon Tours, it might be more affordable than I originally thought, so this may actually happen! It’s too soon after the Marine Corps Marathon to actually race it. I raced two marathons in October of 2011 and don’t have any desire to take on that pain again, but sounds like it’d be a breathtakingly beautiful run.

I also might throw in a 10k around Hains Point (either the Run for the Parks 10k in October or the Veterans Day 10k in November) to try and reach my goal of breaking 44 minutes on a nice flat course. I’m hoping to volunteer at packet pick ups or race day for a few others like the Crystal City 5k Fridays and the GW Parkway 10 Miler, so hopefully I’ll see some of you out there. Let me know how your race calendar is shaping up as we finally (hopefully) start to get some spring-like weather soon.

2013 Race Calendar

February 10 – Love the Run You’re With 5k

~~March 9 – Four Courts Four Miler~~

March 23 – Run Rogue 5k

April 7 – Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

*April 28 – Nike Women’s D.C. Half Marathon*

June 2 – Reston Sprint Triathlon

July 24 – DC Road Runners 1 Mile Track Championships

July 27 – Crystal City Twilighter 5k

*October 27 – Marine Corps Marathon*

December 8 – Honolulu Marathon

~~December 8 – Jingle All the Way 8k~~

*Goal Races*

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

Last week was week 6 of my training program for the Nike DC Women’s Half Marathon and it was also a fall back week so it would be a bit easier. Admittedly I should have done a little more this week, but I did get some quality workouts in as well, so I felt good about those. I ran 14.87 total miles this week. Here’s the day by day training breakdown…

Monday: Spin Class in the morning followed by a strength workout.

Tuesday: I didn’t make it to the track in the morning so I did my speed workout around Hains Point. Battling the wind there made for a tough workout, but it felt great. Altogether I ran just under 7.5 miles with roughly a 2 mile warm-up, 8 400-meter repeats with 100-meter recovery jogs, and about a 3-mile cool down.

Speed Intervals around Hains Point

Wednesday: Early morning endurance spin class.

Thursday: Rest Day.

Friday: I took my tempo run outdoors this week in Hoboken since I was staying up there with my brother for the Big East Tournament. The wind was brutal, but the views were awesome running with the New York City skyline in sight for most of my route. I did 4.3 miles for an average 8 minute pace including my warm up and cool down, so it was a bit slower than I’d like and my legs were feeling very heavy, but I was glad I pushed through and did it.

Saturday: I had great plans of getting up early and meeting up with the Hoboken running club, but I let a late night out after watching Syracuse beat Georgetown in OT at Madison Square Garden foil those plans. I still got myself out for another run along the river and put in an easy 3.1 miles followed by a strength workout before getting ready to go back into NYC for another game at the Garden.

Sunday: Rest Day.

Fueling on the Run

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

Figuring out the right way to fuel along the way during your races can be tough. For my first few marathons, I honestly had no clue and no plan. I just drank the water and Gatorade along the course, and well, there was that Kit Kat Bar I basically stole from some guy at mile 18 of my first marathon!

Eventually, I smartened up and got a better understanding of how important it was to give yourself some fuel along the way. What a difference! My stomach is usually pretty strong, but I still had a tough time figuring out what to eat since I can be a bit picky. I remember just taste testing a Gu once that came in a bag of post-race goodies and thinking it was the grossest thing ever. That was probably in 2003, but I wasn’t about to give it a second chance so I started looking elsewhere.

I tried breaking a peanut butter Powerbar into pieces, but it could be really dry and tough to get down, especially later in the race. When various gummy type energy bites started to come out I got very excited. I used the Gu Chomps at first, but they could also be tough to chew through. PowerBar blasts were my savior. They were a lot easier to take since they are juicy in the center.

In my last two marathons though I haven’t taken my last set of planned bites around mile 21. The first time I felt sick to my stomach and the second time I just couldn’t stomach the idea of eating more of them. My plan this time is to have some variety so I’m not eating the same thing. That means trying something new though.

I’ve been practicing with things during my long runs and I noticed Gu has flavors like chocolate and peanut butter, so I thought it might be time to drop my decade long grudge against them. I’ve tested out the chocolate Gu twice now, and not only does it taste alright, but my stomach handles it well and it’s actually easier to down the Gu then fumble with 5 or so PowerBar blasts. I have some Honey Stinger gummies to try out soon too, and I’m going to keep experimenting till I’ve found just the right combinations.

How do you fuel your long runs and races?

Just be sure to take your Gu with water, not Gatorade!

30 Before 30

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

Yesterday was my 29th birthday! I had such a great day after a fun weekend with my family, and since I love birthdays figured why not just make this my whole birthday week. When I was in high school I thought it was the best time ever until I got to college and thought what could top that. Since then each year has only been better and better. Last year was probably my best yet, so I can’t wait to see what 29 brings. With 30 right around the corner as a pretty big milestone birthday I thought it’d be fun to create a 30 Before 30 list of things I want to do this year before the big 3-0.

I broke my list into several categories in no particular order below. Seeing as this is a fitness blog a lot of them are based around that, but I threw a few others in there as well. My categories are Racing, Fitness Challenges, Around Town, Getting Certified, Social Stuff and Grown Up Things. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my list. Did you or will you do something similar before hitting a milestone birthday? What would be on your list?

Rocking My I Run This Body Shirt!

Racing

Boston Qualifying Time
Race in Hawaii
Break 21 in a 5k
Break 44 in a 10k
Run another race back in my hometown (Syracuse!)
Set a PR in a race I’ve done before
Run a track race
Do a triathlon

Fitness Challenges

50 consecutive push-ups
100 consecutive burpees
5-minute plank
8-minute wall sit
Bike for 30 miles

Around Town

Go hiking around Virginia
Go to 3 D.C. museums or sights I’ve never been to before
Eat out at 3 D.C. restaurants I’ve never been to before

One of my favorite views into D.C.

Getting Certified

Social Stuff

Do 30 group or partner runs this year
Volunteer for races at least 10 times
Go for a run in 3 new cities
Watch 3 movies on the AFI top 100 list

Grown Up Things

Try 3 new foods
Cook a turkey dinner
Attempt to make homemade pasta
Buy my parents dinner (they make this harder than you may think)
Find a new place to move into and learn how to rent current condo

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

I got back on track last week after being slowed by some blisters the week before and felt like it was a great week of training. I also got myself a deep tissue massage midweek, which left my legs feeling recharged and ready for the rest of the week. I ran 27.38 total miles this week. Here’s the day by day training breakdown…

Monday: Spin Class in the morning followed by a strength workout.

Tuesday: Today’s speed day included hill work. I put in 6.1 miles total with 8 sprints up the hill next to Arlington Cemetery by the Iwo Jima Memorial and Netherlands Carillon Bell Tower.

: Looking down at the first part of the hill – MCM finish line hill

: Arlington Cemetery – certainly puts things in perspective running past this

: second stretch of the hill up to the bell tower

: View from the top of the hill

Wednesday: I hit up an early endurance spin class at Revolve followed by a strength workout. I had a snowday today since the federal government closed and tried to go to my gym at the apartment after calling into a conference call only to find it too was closed even though we hadn’t gotten any actual snow. I guess you can’t be happy about getting out of one things and upset about another being closed over the same reason though! I don’t think the 30 or so minutes I planned to spend on the elliptical will make or break my training!

Thursday: After last week’s disastrous tempo run I was a bit nervous about this one. I also just really didn’t feel like working out. I almost got back into bed even after getting into my gym clothes, but instead dragged myself to the gym and figured I’d see how far I could get. I’m sure glad I did. I ran 7.31 miles starting out with a mile warm-up at an 8-minute pace, then started the tempo portion at a 7:35 pace working my way up to 7:30 before cooling down back at my 8-minute pace. I left feeling great and ready to take on anything that day. You’ve gotta love workouts like that!

Friday: Rest Day.

Saturday: I got up bright and early Saturday to get my long run in before the day’s festivities started. My parents were in town and we had tickets for the Syracuse – Georgetown game which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, but I knew I’d have to get that run in before the drinks started pouring at the noon game! It was an absolutely beautiful day for a run. It was still in the 30s when I set off, but the sun was shining and it felt warmer. I ran through Georgetown onto Rock Creek Parkway and looped around Hains Point before heading home over the Memorial Bridge. I came in just shy of 11 miles at 10.72 miles in 90 minutes for about an 8:24 pace and felt great the whole way.

Sunday: I only had a 3-miler on tap today, but I ended up splitting it up around my personal training session. I ran 2.5 easy miles up to my client’s house and then 3/4 of a mile back to a bike share dock to ride the rest of the way home after our session for a total of 3.25 miles. I did this as a progression run making each mile a little faster than the next, but it was mostly an easy uphill run.